Craft brewer invests £850k in new site

Harrogate-based Rooster’s Brewing Company has invested £850,000 in a new brewery and taproom in a bid to meet demand for its range of craft beers.

The move into the new site saw the end of an 18-month journey for the beer firm, with the company settling into the new 1,858m2 ​brewery – three times the size of its original premises at Grimbald Park near Knaresborough.

Designed by head brewer Oliver Fozard and using British-made equipment sourced from UK manufacturers, the new brewery was expected to almost double Rooster’s Brewing Co’s production capacity, with opportunities to expand and increase this further in the long-term.

Second, smaller plant ​

Rooster’s has also invested in a smaller, 1,600-litre brewing plant for use in the production of an ongoing range of limited-edition beers that will form part of an ‘experimental’ sub-brand called the Outlaw Project.

Fozard said the new brewery would open up new opportunities for the business as it continued to focus on brewing consistent and well-balanced beers.

“Not only does it enable us to significantly increase our production output for our ever-expanding range of beers but, with the addition of the smaller plant, we now also have an exciting opportunity to channel the pioneering creativity we’re known for and create a range of exciting, inspiring, flavour-filled limited-edition beers that bring something completely new and different to the market,”​ he explained.

Beer in the community ​

The investment in the Harrogate site also included a taproom that featured a street food kitchen, with a different street food trader setting up shop each weekend.

Commercial director Tom Fozard added: “Harrogate is in Rooster’s DNA, it’s where the brewery first started life, so it’s extra-special to be able to bring the company home.”​